1776 playing in Santa Monica tomorrow (1 Viewer)

[Moe Dickstein]

The screening was a great success - a large portion of the crowd were first time viewers as well! I don't think I ever remember the picture playing that well in a theater, and Peter was in fine form at the Q&A. It was the perfect way to start the holiday.

The American Cinematheque has made this into an annual tradition, so I'm giving you die-hards a years notice this time, Maybe we can even figure out something special to do if a bunch of people wanted to come in from out of town...

Until next year or Sony decides to let Grover Crisp's work commence...

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Happy to hear the screening was successful.I will have to make plans in advance to get outto Santa Monica next year. Very much want to meetPeter.Thanks, Moe, for the report.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

My pleasure Ron! We'd sure love to have the #1 East Coast fan there

 

[Matt Hough]

I watched the DVD last night and thoroughly enjoyed it (like always). I did see the theatrical release (once) and can't remember if the movie was that brown in theaters as it is on the DVD. I thought I recalled Martha's dress in "He Plays the Violin" to be yellow rather than ivory, but I certainly could be wrong.

Anyway, the DVD is very sharp and upconverts nicely, but a Blu-ray would just hit the spot. PLEASE, Sony!

 

[Joe Lugoff]

"I wonder how long it's been since this had 3 showings in one evening on TV?"

It's also on Antenna TV, so that makes 4 showings -- but not really, because the Antenna version will be pan and scan and interrupted by commercials.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I had my own viewing last night at my house...but neither Moe nor Peter Hunt showed up at my door!

Just grand. The best thing about this film is that it makes available--in a very accessible way to the audience--a great demonstration as to why the founding fathers got it right and so many of today's elected officials (at all levels of government) consistently get wrong. Lyman Hall sums it all up quite nicely in his brief conversation with John Adams before changing Georgia's vote in favor of independence. He quotes Edmund Burke's writings:

Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.

Today, it seems most elected officials believe that by bowing to the opinions of their constituents will ensure them re-election instead of doing what is actually best for them. No polls. No pandering. Deliberation and tough decision-making are what's needed. And that agonizing compromise to ensure that the Declaration passed Congress is something I can hardly imagine happening in today's Congress.

A side note: I had the treat a few years ago of seeing a stage production of 1776 in Troy, New York (at Russell Sage college) by the NYS Theater Institute. I saw it a couple of times, in fact, as it was directed by none other than Ron Holgate--who played Richard Henry Lee in the film (and won a Tony for the role on Broadway)! Holgate is a local boy who continues his work in the theater.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

I started it up last night in high definition on Vudu, but got interrupted. I will finish it up this evening. It's a very nice transfer of the director's cut (that is also available in HD from the iTunes Store.)

 

[Steve...O]

Until next year or Sony decides to let Grover Crisp's work commence...

Hi Moe,

Thanks for all your updates in this thread. Just to clarify, earlier posts in this thread made reference to a planned new commentary and to the intent to put everything back into the film, but the above suggests that Sony has not greenlit this project yet. So is it a case where Sony has given a tentative go ahead but not scheduled yet or is the entire project itself still under review?

Knowing the quality of work that Mr. Crisp and his team produces, it would be a shame to let this opportunity slip away. Mr. Daniels is probably closer to 90 than 80 at this point and while he is still a vibrant working actor, these things are best done sooner rather than later.

Thanks.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

The project was planned and begun, then cancelled due to Sonys change in strategy.There is no current forward motion

 

[Mike Frezon]

“Don't put off until tomorrow that which you can do today.”
--Benjamin Franklin

 

[David Weicker]

If they do ever resume this project, are the Howard DaSilva TV introductions (which he did in character) available as a possible extra?

 

[Moe Dickstein]

Just getting the new cut and commentary together will be a pretty big deal, I don't know how much extra we'd get beyond that.

 

[Steve...O]

Thanks, Moe. That's discouraging to read (lack of forward motion). I had hoped that the letter/e-mail campaign that Ron championed in another thread would have shown sufficient consumer demand to warrant moving ahead.

“Don't put off until tomorrow that which you can do today.”
--Benjamin Franklin

Amen.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

I have a feeling the threshold for interest is vastly high.Doesn't mean we should stop writing and encouraging others to do same

 

[Charles Smith]

The letters mailed to Sony were unceremoniously returned, unopened.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

The letters mailed to Sony were unceremoniously returned, unopened.

Correct....and thank you, Charles for being one of the many
members that helped.

Letters were written to Sony. We had the correct address
and distributed them to our membership. All of us had our
letters returned, unopened.

From what I am hearing, Sony (the company) is not interested
in supporting the effort to release this film as it should be. I have
a feeling if we can't get the studio to change its mind one way
or another, it's going to be handed over to Twilight Time and
released as a standard edition Blu-ray.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

Right. I doubt Sony will release, but they still have to authorize Grover to do the work that would then be released through a license. That's where shows of support can help. Perhaps that means starting a Facebook petition, perhaps that means calls, if I had a great idea I'd share it here.That is what we are working towards, Sony in house reconstruction and then a license to a distributor. Of course we would love nothing more than to see the great work that Grover will do get released in house that just doesn't seem possible in the current climate.

 

[Mike Frezon]

If you can determine a proper outlet for our fanaticism to make the point in the most effective way, just please let us know.

 

[JohnMor]

Correct....and thank you, Charles for being one of the many
members that helped.

Letters were written to Sony. We had the correct address
and distributed them to our membership. All of us had our
letters returned, unopened.

Now that is just poor business practices. You certainly don't have to heed what the public writes to you, but to not even care to open the letters?!

From what I am hearing, Sony (the company) is not interested
in supporting the effort to release this film as it should be. I have
a feeling if we can't get the studio to change its mind one way
or another, it's going to be handed over to Twilight Time and
released as a standard edition Blu-ray.

Just my thoughts.

Does that mean a blu ray of the dvd version? If so, I'd be quite happy with that (as opposed to nothing, I mean.)

 

[Moe Dickstein]

Twilight Time has no interest in releasing a Blu with only the DVD cut. They are wise and know that fans demand the "kitchen sink" version alongside it.This is what Peter Hunt wants, this is what Grover Crisp wants, and if nobody else is willing to release it, we know Twilight Time will do so, and we are so grateful to know this option exists.But Sony has to let Grover do his work before any of this happens.I think if someone with Facebook savvy starts a petition page, they can't return that unopened...